30,000 in
Terai to get Nepali citizenshipKathmandu, August 7The Nepal Government has promised
to restore citizenship to residents who had been stripped of their
naturalisation certificates following a court order, paving the way for
fresh controversy.

PM,
Musharraf may meet next monthWashington, August 7If things go well, Pakistan
President Musharraf of Pakistan and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee of India are likely to meet on the sidelines of the UN
conference in New York.

Foreign
Secys meet to decide agendaColombo, August 7Indian and Pakistani officials
today met to finalise the time and agenda for the foreign
secretary-level talks between the two countries on the sidelines of the
SAARC standing committee meeting here on August 9.

Suharto’s
son ‘ordered’ judge’s killingJakarta, August 7Suspects in the murder of a senior
Indonesian judge have accused former President Suharto’s youngest son
of masterminding the killing, police said today.

Hasina,
Khaleda’s talks with Carter flayedDhaka, August 7Pledges made by the two main
political parties of Bangladesh during talks with the visiting former US
President Jimmy Carter have drawn flak from the left-leaning 11-party
alliance. It has blamed the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist
Party of an attempt to “unnecessarily” please the former US
President.

$ 10 m for
Clinton memoirsNew York, August 7Former US President Bill Clinton
will get more than $ 10 million from the Alfred A. Knopf Publishing
Group as advance for worldwide rights of his memoirs, scheduled for
publication in 2003.

Main, a four-year-old dog, begs for its master at an overhead pedestrian bridge in Bangkok on Tuesday. The dog, who was taught how to beg for its begger owner, can earn up to 1,000 baht ($22) per day.
— Reuters

Khmer
ex-leaders’ trial clearedPhnom Penh, August 7Cambodia’s Constitutional Council
has approved revised legislation required to put on trial the former
leaders of the dreaded Khmer Rouge for crimes against humanity,
officials said today.

Cambodia’s Constitutional Council members met in Phnom Penh on Tuesday, to establish a tribunal to try former leaders of the Khmer Rouge ‘‘killing fields’’ regime. The legislation was passed after two hours of debate by the council which scrutinised the Khmer Rouge trial law to assess its constitutionality.
— Reuters photo

Mahendra
projected as PMSuva, August 7Fiji’s Labour Party has said
former Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry will be the party’s prime
ministerial candidate despite warnings of bloodshed if he returns to
office. Party spokesperson Jokapeci Koroi, responding to a letter that
has been circulating around threatening bloodshed if Labour wins, said
the party would never bow to threats.

Iran
crisis resolved; Khatami to be sworn inTehran, August 7Moderate Iranian President Mohammad
Khatami will be sworn in to his second and final term of office
tomorrow, parliamentary Speaker Mehdi Karubi announced, ending a
constitutional crisis.

Kathmandu, August 7
The Nepal Government has promised to restore citizenship to residents who had been stripped of their naturalisation certificates following a court order, paving the way for fresh controversy.

Home Minister Khum Bahadur Khadka addressing both Houses of Parliament said: “Genuine Nepali citizens will not be deprived of their rights.”

The Supreme Court had last month directed the Nepali Government to revoke 30,000 citizenship certificates given to residents of the Terai region in southern Nepal, bordering the states of Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh.

Mr Khadka said: “Although the Supreme Court has given its verdict to annul some certificates, Nepali citizenship will be awarded to those citizens after completing due formalities within one month of receiving termination notices.”

“Nepali citizens should get citizenship certificates without hassle and the government is also equally aware that non-nationals should not get citizenship.”

The move could reopen a controversy regarding a citizenship bill approved in the 18th session of Parliament that was sent to the Supreme Court by the late King Birendra.

Mr Khadka’s statements might trigger controversy on the sensitive citizenship issue for Terai residents as critics of the Bill say relaxation of naturalisation provisions would create another “Fiji” in Nepal.

The Bill had surfaced in Parliament last week with politicians representing the Terai region saying the court verdict would deprive voters there of citizenship.

To protest the court’s decision, Terai-based Nepal Sadbhawana Party, which has been pressing for citizenship certificates for the region’s residents, has been boycotting Parliament since late last week.

Earlier, the court had returned the Bill to Birendra saying: “If the proposed Bill was adopted, it will mean the amendment of the Constitution.”

Mr Khadka has also ordered a freeze on property of non-citizens who have acquired certificate from the “back door” after the Supreme Court verdict. “Only descendants of male Nepali parents are entitled citizenship by descent,” Khadka said.

The Kathmandu Post, a Nepali daily reported that the Home Ministry had already issued a directive to the Chief District Officers of 20 districts not to entertain those citizenship certificates to be revoked by the Supreme Court.
IANS, UNI

Washington, August 7
If things go well, Pakistan President Musharraf of Pakistan and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee of India are likely to meet on the sidelines of the UN conference in New York.

The next round of talks between Musharraf and Vajpayee may take place in New York between September 23 and 26. Vajpayee is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly on September 25 while the tentative slot for Musharraf’s speech is scheduled for September 24.

The renewal of contact between the two leaders could be preceded by an interaction on the sidelines by Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Abdul Sattar. Both Foreign Ministers are likely to arrive in New York before their respective heads of government.

The outcome of New York will determine the fate of Vajpayee’s visit to Pakistan. A failed or no meeting in New York may jeopardise the ongoing process.

American strategists seem divided about the prospects of success in New York. Stephen Cohen, Director of South Asia Programme at The Brookings Institute, believes that the last summit had made it difficult for both sides to show flexibility. “Even if they manage to meet in New York, any dialogue without agenda would not be worth the effort,” said Cohen while talking to The News. Cohen contends that they need to decide what they want to talk about much before the meeting.

Cohen has consistently called for mediation by Washington or a third party to resolve the dragging Kashmir issue. His position is that the two countries cannot bring about a normalisation process. They need an outside helping hand. At the same time, he is not sure if the Bush administration is prepared to play that role, “which of course, would be much opposed by the Indians.”

But others disagree. Karl Inderfurth, point person for South Asia in former president Bill Clinton’s administration, continues to parrot the Indian anathema for outside intervention. “I don’t believe that either country would need to rely on the US to do more than support the process that they’re trying to pursue,” Inderfurth was quoted as saying in India Abroad on Monday.
ANI

Colombo, August 7
Indian and Pakistani officials today met to finalise the time and agenda for the foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries on the sidelines of the SAARC standing committee meeting here on August 9.

A preparatory meeting of the officials of SAARC member-countries got underway today. This would be the first high-level contact between India and Pakistan after the July 15 Agra summit.

Indian Foreign Secretary Chokoila Iyer will meet her Pakistani counterpart Inamul Haq during the two-day meeting of the SAARC officials on August 9 and 10.

The exact timing of their meeting is being worked out, a senior official said. Ms Iyer would also interact with foreign secretaries of other SAARC countries.

A high-power Indian delegation, including Joint Secretary Parvthy Sen Vyas and Director Zille Singh, are attending the preparatory meeting.
UNI

Jakarta, August 7
Suspects in the murder of a senior Indonesian judge have accused former President Suharto’s youngest son of masterminding the killing, police said today.

The police have linked the millionaire fugitive Hutomo Mandala Putra, or “Tommy’’ Suharto, to a spate of fatal bombings in the country and the murder two weeks ago of the chief judge who last year sentenced him to 18 months in jail for graft.

“The suspects said that it was Tommy who gave the order. They said he gave them 100 million Rupiah ($ 10,800) and firearms to carry it out,’’ Jakarta police spokesman Anton Bahrul Alam said.

Two gunman on motorcycle shot Supreme Court judge Syaifuddin Kartasasmita in broad daylight in the capital Jakarta last month, sending chills through a judicial system better known for settling cases with bribes than bullets.

The police said two men had been arrested today hours after finding explosives and documents linking Tommy Suharto to a spate of bombings which have rocked the troubled nation for months.

Former playboy Tommy has been on the run since November, making the police subject to widespread ridicule for their failure to capture one of the country’s best known figures.

Police showed copies of a photograph they said was used by the Suharto’s son for a fake I.D. card and which showed him wearing a beard and bearing the name “Ibrahim.’’

The accusations came as a homemade bomb exploded in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city, killing a woman as she was buying foodstuff from a street vendor outside her home.
Reuters

Dhaka, August 7
Pledges made by the two main political parties of Bangladesh during talks with the visiting former US President Jimmy Carter have drawn flak from the left-leaning 11-party alliance. It has blamed the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of an attempt to “unnecessarily” please the former US President. The alliance said Mr Carter was here to assess the pre-poll situation before the next general election expected to be held within two months. But the two main political parties spoke to Mr Carter as if he was here to mediate between the two rivals”.

During his visit Ms Sheikh Hasina, President of the Awami League, and her party colleagues, and Ms Khaleda Zia, Chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), along with party leaders, met Mr Carter separately at a local hotel.

After these meetings, the Awami League and BNP leaders spoke to the media. Ms Hasina pledged to extend support to the caretaker government in creating a conducive atmosphere for holding polls. Ms Zia reiterated her earlier demand to “cleanse” the administration of Awami League elements as a precondition for smooth conduct of poll.

Mr Carter at a press conference before his departure said the political parties had pledged to a) allow local poll observers in polling centres b) accept the result of the poll c) to desist from resorting to terror tactics during the poll d) not boycott parliament in future and e) shun programmes of shutdown in future. This has drawn criticism from the 11-party alliance, a combine of the Left parties.

New York, August 7
Former US President Bill Clinton will get more than $ 10 million from the Alfred A. Knopf Publishing Group as advance for worldwide rights of his memoirs, scheduled for publication in 2003.

Announcing the deal for the book, Sonny Mehta, president and editor-in-chief of Alfred A. Knopf, said in a statement that the book would be “a thorough and candid telling of his life, with a primary focus on the White House years.”

The deal breaks the record of $ 8.5 million that Pope John Paul II got for worldwide rights for his book and exceeds $ 8 million paid by Simon and Schuster to his wife Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for her memoirs.

Robert Gottlieb, who has worked with Katharine Graham, Toni Morrison, Robert Caro and Barbara
Tuchman, would work with Mr Clinton as his editor, the publishers said.

“I am very pleased to be associated with the distinguished publishing house of Alfred A. Knopf. I look forward to working with Sonny Mehta, Bob Gottlieb, and the rest of their extraordinary team, as I begin writing my memoirs,” Mr Clinton said in a statement.

It was not clear how much Mr Clinton disclosed about plans for his memoirs including whether he would discuss Monica Lewinsky or Whitewater investigations, The New York Times said.

But Mr Clinton’s presidency was a proven hit with readers, from paper back editions of independent counsel Kenneth W. Starr’s report on the Whitewater investigation to a long roster of best sellers, including books by Joe Klein, Michael
Isikoff, Bob Woodward, George Stephanopoulos and James B. Stewart, the Times noted.
PTI

Phnom Penh, August 7
Cambodia’s Constitutional Council has approved revised legislation required to put on trial the former leaders of the dreaded Khmer Rouge for crimes against humanity, officials said today.

“We will send this decision to the Parliament, the Prime Minister and the king,” constitutional council president Bin Chhin said.

Council approval was critical given it had rejected similar legislation last January due to a legal technicality, despite the Bill being passed by Parliament.

The revised legislation, which removes a reference to the death penalty, was passed almost unanimously by the National Assembly and Senate in July.

Mr Bin Chhin said Article 3 of the legislation which referred to the death penalty was now correct. “After long and tough discussions we the Constitutional Council members have decided that Article 3 of the law has conformed to the Constitution.”

The legislation will be checked by the United Nations and an agreement is still to be reached on contributions for the trial from member-countries.

Western diplomats said this was expected to be signed in a memorandum of understanding, possibly in September.
AFP

Tehran, August 7
Moderate Iranian President Mohammad Khatami will be sworn in to his second and final term of office tomorrow, parliamentary Speaker Mehdi Karubi announced, ending a constitutional crisis.

“The ceremony will take place on Wednesday following a decision by the Expediency Council (EC) on Monday,” Karubi told reform-majority Parliament during a weekly session broadcast live on radio.

Today’s announcement comes after the Council, the nation’s top arbitration body, met overnight in emergency session. It was seeking to settle a dispute that had effectively blocked the investiture of Khatami initially slated for Sunday but postponed by orders of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
AFP

WORLD BRIEFS

PORT RECAPTURED, 60 DIE
MOGADISHU: Pro-government forces recaptured the key Somali port city of Kismayu early on Tuesday after fierce fighting which claimed at least 60 lives, local elders said. Militiamen from the Juba Valley Alliance said they had retaken control of Kismayu, the country’s third largest city, from an Ethiopian-backed faction led by warlord General Morgan, who had held it for less than 24 hours.
Reuters

INDIAN SCIENTIST IS RESEARCH DIRECTOR
NEW YORK: Dr G. Sridhar Prasad, an expert in crystallography, has been appointed as one of the three research directors of Medichem Life Sciences Emerald BioStructures’ structural proteomics unit. The other two joining him in this key position are Dr Alex Burgin Jr, an expert in biochemistry, and Dr Robin Clark, an expert in proteins.
PTI

CHIRAC TOPS ‘MOST SEXY MAN’ POLL
PARIS: If sex appeal swings it, French President Jacques Chirac could pull more votes than his likely rivals in next year’s presidential election. The 68-year-old Head of State beat off several male challengers to top a poll to find the “most sexy man” in French politics, with 27.3 per cent of the votes, according to a survey by consultants Strategie RC released on Monday. Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, tipped as his main election challenger, trailed the perpetually tanned Mr Chirac.
Reuters

CASH, DIAMONDS WORTH 7.4M STOLEN
ZURICH: A group of armed men made off with a haul of cash, diamonds and precious metals from a Swissair freight container shortly after it was unloaded at Johannesburg airport in South Africa last week, the Swiss airline and a German newspaper report said. Between five and seven gunmen, according to witnesses, raided the container as it sat on the tarmac, the German newspaper Blick reported on Monday. It said the haul amounted to an estimated $ 7.4 million.
AFP